Schools in China have started using a new method to keep an eye on the whereabouts of their students. The method would certainly cause privacy-conscious people to raise their eyebrows. The schools are using “smart uniforms” which are equipped with chips to track their students’ whereabouts. This is reportedly being done to encourage improved attendance rates.
Global Times, a state-run publication, reports that schools in China are now promoting the use of these smart uniforms to improve their monitoring of students’ attendance and whereabouts. These uniforms have been adopted by more than ten schools in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region so far.
When the students wear these uniforms, school authorities receive accurate information about their entry and exit into the school. The data is automatically sent to their parents and teachers. The uniforms have two chips in each shoulder which are durable enough to survive up to 150 degree Celsius and 500 washes.
The technology is provided by the Guizhou Guanyu Technology Company. The uniforms contain an automatic alarm which activates if the student walks out of school without prior permission. The alarm also rings if students swap their uniforms. This is made possible by the use of facial recognition technology on the doors of these schools. These uniforms can be used to locate children after school as well, hence the privacy concerns.
Filed in . Read more about China. Source: globaltimes.cn